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Plaintiff-Appellee,
versus
HUBERT SANTIESTEBAN,
Defendant-Appellant.
________________________
Appeal from the United States District Court
for the Middle District of Florida
________________________
(July 21, 2014)
Before TJOFLAT, HULL and MARCUS, Circuit Judges.
PER CURIAM:
Case: 13-15432
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Case: 13-15432
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is at least five years, the offense level applicable from Chapters Two
(Offense Conduct) and Three (Adjustments) shall be not less than level 17.
A superseding indictment, in Count One, charged Santiesteban, Walter
Berrios, Jose Andujar, Fernando Games, Nelson Millan, and Abraham Gonzalez
with conspiring in violation of 21 U.S.C. 846 to violate 21 U.S.C. 841(a) by
distributing five kilograms or more of a mixture containing cocaine for a period
ending April 11, 2013, and in Count Two, charged the same individuals, with the
exception of Gonzalez, with intent to distribute and distribution of five kilograms
of cocaine on April 10, 2013, in violation of 21 U.S.C. 841(a). Santiesteban pled
guilty to both counts, and the District Court, denying him safety-valve relief
because he had not truthfully provided to the Government all the information he
had about the charged offenses, sentenced him to concurrent prison terms of 120
months on Count One and 60 months on Count Two. Santiesteban appeals his
sentences because he disagrees with the courts finding that he was not
forthcoming as 5C1.2 requires.
We use a clear-error standard to review a district courts factual
determination of whether a defendant qualifies for application of the 5C1.2
safety-valve provision. United States v. Cruz, 106 F.3d 1553, 1557 (11th Cir.
1997). For a finding to be clearly erroneous, this Court must be left with a
definite and firm conviction that a mistake has been committed. United States v.
Rothenberg, 610 F.3d 621, 624 (11th Cir. 2010) (citation omitted) (internal
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forthcoming. Gamess testimony, for example, which the court found credible,
showed that Santiesteban was untruthful. Games testified that Santiesteban sold
him close to 20 kilograms of cocaine and that Santiesteban had talked to him about
supplying cocaine to other buyers, about transporting around 25 kilograms to
Tampa at a time, and about how he had built a trap compartment in his car to hide
the drugs. Gamess testimony contradicted Santiestebans statements to Agent
Bessette that all the cocaine he ever sold amounted only to 10 grams and that he
never transported cocaine to Tampa, as Games said he did. Santiestebans
arguments to the contrary are contradicted by the record. His proffer to the
Government failed to satisfy 5C1.2(a)s fifth criteria; therefore, his sentences are
AFFIRMED.